23 Jun 2012

Ultimate QRSS/WSPR kit from Hans Summers

Hans Summers G0UPL has just announced a wonderful new kit. Amongst other modes it also supports stand-alone WSPR beaconing when used with a GPS timing reference, without a PC. This was his announcement on the GQRP Yahoo group earlier today:

All,

This is to announce a new standalone QRSS/WSPR kit by Steve G0XAR and Hans G0UPL. The kit supports WSPR, QRSS, DFCW, FSK/CW, CW, Hell (full speed and half-speed), Slow Hell, and customisable FSK patterns. The WSPR encoding is on-chip. It supports the connection of a GPS module for frequency locking, accurate time, and location (for WSPR). Power output is measured at 185mW on the 30m version. We are selling versions for 30/40/80m and perhaps later 20m and 160m. It does not require a PC, it has an LCD and two buttons to control it.

The price is GBP 15.39 (EUR 19 or US $24 approximately) plus shipping.

You can see all the details here: http://www.hanssummers.com/qrsskitmm and order online at http://www.hanssummers.com/shop . We expect to be shipping by 27-29 June.

The kit supports the following modes:

+ QRSS mode (plain on/off keyed slow CW)
+ FSK/CW mode (frequency shift keyed slow CW)
+ DFCW mode (dual frequency CW, dit's and dah's on different frequencies)
+ WSPR mode (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter)
+ Slow-Hellschreiber (frequency shifted slow Hellschreiber)
+ Hellshreiber (full-speed standard Hellschreiber, and half-speed Hellshreiber)
+ CW (plain CW)
+ Customisable FSK patterns

Other features:

+ 24-character LCD + two-button user interface
+ User-programmable (callsign, message, speed, FSK, mode, etc.), settings stored in EEPROM
+ GPS interface, for locking the frequency in slow-speed modes
+ On-chip generation of WSPR encoded message (no PC required)
+ WSPR maidenhead locator can be generated from GPS-derived latitude/longitude
+ Selectable “frame” size, for stacked QRSS reception
+ Plain CW callsign identifier at selectable interval
+ Produces 150mW RF output, or AF output for driving an SSB transceiver
+ Higher output power by additional PA transistor and/or higher PA supply voltage

73 Hans G0UPL and Steve G0XAR

5 comments:

Sverre Holm said...

Thanks for making me aware of this - just ordered one and am looking forward to trying 30 m WSPR.

Sverre/LA3ZA
http://la3za.blogspot.no/

G8JGO said...

I am going to say tje same thing - thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have not had a good read of the links provided yet, but my first thought is to see how I can modify the software to allow keyboard input for live QSO on the appropriate modes. Hope RTTY is included too.

As the basis of an exciter to an amplfier this will be very useful.

73 DE G8JGO

Ones and Zeros on the Interweb said...

I built one of these and it works very well. On the first day of its use, I was spotted seven times by W3BI, 5475 km away. Hilarious fun for less than £16. It is the cheapest amateur radio fun on the market by far. I just need to arrange a cleaner power supply so it doesn't hang up now and again. I'm running it off an unregulated wall wart, mobile phone charger with a couple of diodes in line to get the voltage below 6v. This is not recommended, and is causing it to hang about every forty or fifty minutes. It's easy to start up again; I just hold down the left hand programming button until all the menus have gone through and then press the right button. It takes all of ten seconds and it is back on the air again.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
went to Hans' webshop to get two for a fellow ham and myslf, but no answer or availability...is it just vacation time?

Best 73s
OZ6F

Jeff - KK4ETK said...

My kit arrived today. Quality of parts looks excellent. Arrived in good time too. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend? :-)